Regulatory harmony key to EU’s maritime H<sub>2</sub> ambitions
Ad hoc national regulations threaten to stymie bloc’s hopes of weaning shipping industry off fossil fuels
Decarbonising Europe’s maritime sector will require unified regulations governing hydrogen-powered vessels, subsidised hydrogen prices and loan guarantees, industry experts believe. Hydrogen is integral to the European Green Deal, which aims to make the EU net zero for global warming emissions by 2050—yet there are no Europe-wide regulations governing hydrogen-powered ships. Financial institutions, shipbuilders and shipowners need a comprehensive and predictable legal framework to invest in building such craft, Lionel Boillot, project manager at Europe’s Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH2 JU), told Norway’s fifth International Conference on Maritime Hydrogen and Marine Energy. N
Also in this section
14 January 2026
Continent’s governments must seize the green hydrogen opportunity by refining policies and ramping up the development of supply chains and infrastructure
6 January 2026
Shifts in government policy and rising power demand will shape the clean hydrogen sector as it attempts to gain momentum following a sluggish performance in 2025
23 December 2025
Government backing and inflow of private capital point to breakthrough year for rising star of the country’s clean energy sector
19 December 2025
The hydrogen industry faces an important choice: coordinated co-evolution or patched-together piecemeal development. The way forward is integrated co-evolution, and freight corridors are a good example
